--The Pistons have won two of the last three meetings with the Bulls since breaking an 18-game series losing streak in April 2013.

--The Bulls are on a 9-2 run but coming off a loss. The Pistons are on a 2-7 run but coming off a win.

--The teams have split two games this year, each winning on the other's home court dominant defensive second halves. The Bulls won here 99-79 on Nov. 27, when they outscored the Pistons 48-26 in the second half. It was the lowest-scoring half by the Pistons, and by any Bulls opponent, this season. The Pistons avenged the loss Dec. 7, 92-75, behind 33 points from Jennings and a 45-28 second half, including a nine-point Chicago third quarter. Likewise, it was the lowest-scoring half by the Bulls, and by any Pistons opponent, this season.

--The Bulls had a season-low 12 assists in their 96-80 loss Monday at Brooklyn. The previous game, Noah had 14 in a win over New York.

--The Bulls were 6-5 with Derrick Rose. They are 27-22 since his season-ending injury.

--Drummond's 26-rebound game in Monday's win over the Knicks pushed him to a 13.1 average for the season, third in the NBA. Drummond has had 20-plus rebounds in four of his last 18 games. The league rebounding leader remains the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan (14.0), who has had double-figure rebounds in 38 of his last 39 games.

--Noah is sixth in rebounding and averages career-highs 12.0 points and 11.4 rebounds.

--Gibson is averaging career-highs with 29.1 minutes and 13.3 points per game. His previous career-best scoring average was 9.0 as a rookie in 2009-10.

The victory over New York gave us occasion to applaud Andre Drummond's rebounding. It gave us occasion to gawk at some unseen offensive moves from him, a big plus for the future.

But rim protection remains a major part of his job description and how he has done at it is a reasonable point to debate.

Drummond acknowledged after Tuesday's practice that defensive rotation "comes down to trusting," and that he had to adapt early in the season to new twists as he became a full-time starter, playing more minutes, and in a new system with a new coach.

One of those twists was playing against better centers as a starter, who could score more ways, and the reluctance to leave them when his guards got beat, which has been way too often.

"It was kind of tough for me to really leave my guy and know that somebody was going to be there behind me to help me out," Drummond said. "But now it's later in the season and we have it kind of figured out now. So it's gotten to the point where I can just leave and know somebody else has my back."

Well ... that's debatable, given that the Pistons scored 110 points in consecutive games last week in Texas, and lost both. They can't simply throw in the towel defensively but outscoring teams had been their only formula until a much better defensive effort Monday against the Knicks. By the way, "against the Knicks" isn't just an identifier, it's also a qualifier.

Tonight comes Chicago and the reality that if Drummond has to leave Noah because his perimeter can't contain guard penetration by Hinrich and Butler, it's a real problem. By the way, "by Hinrich and Butler" isn't just an identifier, it's also a qualifier.

Drummond helps, dunk ensues, Pistons face set defense, which can be particularly sticky against the Bulls, as their 92.3 points allowed per game attest, second-best in the league. So Drummond can rotate -- and must -- but risks giving opponents a virtually unmissable shot, letting his man score and looking bad himself for doing the right thing, and eliminating a transition opportunity.

Pistons coach John Loyer called it "a delicate thing," which it is, and said it would help some if drivers got angled off before Drummond had to stave them off, which also is true.

"You want him to be aggressive coming from the weak side to block shots and to rebound the ball, but then again, he's usually leaving either a lob guy or the team's best rebounder," Loyer said. "So you've got to do a better job of just containing your man. If you're constantly in help positions, I don't care who you are back there, or how good of weak-side seal-downs you're going to have, you're not very good."